Alternative lenders: Once you have your franchise up and running, you’ll need funding to work through seasonal ups and downs, purchase new equipment and possibly open another location. If you’re still having a hard time finding traditional funding, alternative lenders may help fill the gap. They tend to be quicker than traditional loan providers — some even fund within a day — and have looser qualification standards. However, annual percentage rates for alternative lenders typically are higher, so make sure you review your total cost of borrowing before deciding on a loan.

A franchise merchant cash advance (MCA) is a short-term loan that provides capital to franchises that need funding quickly. Approval for a merchant cash advance can take a matter of minutes, and funding can be completed in as little as 24-48 hours. Merchant cash advances work by having a funding company purchase a portion of your franchise’s future receivables at a discount, with an upfront payment to the franchise. After funding the funding company will then collect repayment by splitting each days credit card batches with the franchise.
Lenders prefer financial statements that have been audited by a certified public accountant (CPA). But many small businesses don’t want to incur the costs of an audit, so one alternative is to have the financial statements “reviewed” by a CPA (which is cheaper and faster). However, some lenders may not require either audited or reviewed statements.
A microloan is similar to a traditional bank loan, but they often come from alternative lenders like credit unions. A microloan tends to be easier to get for those with subpar credit because the loan amounts, as the name indicates, are small, typically fifty thousand dollars or less. Because of this, the credit requirements for these loans are also lower. If this amount of funding suits your needs, this is a good option. The SBA has a microloan program, and there are several alternative lending options such as Prosper and Zopa.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to manage all of your downloaded banking transactions. You will also understand how to enter basic banking transactions manually. Finally, you will be able to use the reconcile tool to ensure that the transactions on your bank statement match up with what has been entered into QuickBooks. This will result in up-to-date financial statements.

Shelton advises entrepreneurs to apply for a larger loan once they have the numbers to prove that they are growing: “What you’re hoping to get from these smaller loans is traction,” which you can use to “pitch [your story] as a growth story” when you apply for a larger traditional loan from a bank. Proving that you have experience growing your business from someone else’s money will help you convince the bank that you can do the same with their loan.

Some franchising companies run their own franchise financing programs that help franchisees get in the door. Program offerings and requirements vary by franchisor, with such options as limited-term loans, reduced license fees or reduced royalties, and minority stake ownership by franchisors. Some companies, like Ace Hardware, offer financing to existing franchisees to open a new store or buy out a competitor.

Use your retirement accounts (401(k) or IRA) to invest in your business without having to pay early withdrawal penalties or taxes. If you still need more money, this can be used in combination with a SBA loan. The investment into your business may be enough that no collateral is required. Even if collateral would normally be required, an alternative such as a payment reserve and be utilized. Learn more about 401K business financing.

When you do a ROBS, you basically sponsor a retirement plan under your franchise, rollover funds from your personal retirement plan to the company retirement plan, and use those funds to buy shares of stock in your business. The sale of stock creates the capital needed to start or buy a new franchise or recapitalize an existing franchise. Read our in-depth guide on ROBS to learn more about how it works.

ApplePie currently has partnerships with 42 franchises, such as 7 Eleven, Dunkin’ Donuts, Jimmy John’s Pizza, and Wetzel’s Pretzels. Other franchise brands can get loans through ApplePie, though the process might take a little longer. ApplePie offers loans for both new and existing franchises, including franchise startup loans, loans to purchase an existing franchise, franchise equipment loans, franchise refinancing loans, and more.

One basic way to protect proprietary company information is through the use of a Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement. This type of agreement deals with confidentiality issues, but can also ensure that the ideas, work product, and inventions the employee creates that are related to company business belong to the company—not the employee.

Personal collateral requirements depend on the loan amount and the project. Does the coffee franchise involve commercial real estate or will the business be leasing a space? Collateral can be in different forms. Real estate equity is one form of collateral. Cash (in the form of a payment reserve or a CD) is another. We would need to know the specific project cost breakdown to know what might be possible. Rule of thumb would be to plan on 25% personal equity into the business and the bank will finance 75%. If it is preferred to avoid putting a lien on personal real estate, plan to have 18 months of loan payments to set aside in an escrow account at the bank as a payment reserve. The payment reserve can be released back to you after 2 years, as long as the business is showing good cash flow and making the loan payments without a problem. The other option is a CD held at the bank for the term of the loan. The CD is usually a smaller amount of funds than the payment reserve but is held for the entire term of the loan.

That is why you should use an administrative service to manage your loan, and give you a professional platform to raise the money and make payments to. This can make it easier for people you know to lend money to your business, and you won’t have to worry about any of the paperwork or tax implications. It could also improve your chances at getting funded.

The second part of the balance sheet is liabilities. Follow the same steps. List your current bills, all your charges, your home mortgage, auto loans, finance company loans and so on. Subtract your liabilities from your assets. Once you've worked up this sheet, take a good look at your credit rating. There are three common ingredients that all potential lenders look for in a credit rating: stability, income and track record.
The second part of the balance sheet is liabilities. Follow the same steps. List your current bills, all your charges, your home mortgage, auto loans, finance company loans and so on. Subtract your liabilities from your assets. Once you've worked up this sheet, take a good look at your credit rating. There are three common ingredients that all potential lenders look for in a credit rating: stability, income and track record.
Proof of ability to pay: As Ali told me, banks want to be sure you’re positioned to make the loan payment on time each month. You’ll need to present detailed financial statements showing that your income is at least 1.25 times your operating expenses, including the new repayment amount. For example, say your business makes $15,000 a month and your current expenses are $10,000. With the loan repayment added to your operating expenses, you need to be sure your income still exceeds the recommended 1.25 threshold.
To find out the best ways for new business owners to secure loans, I consulted with experts who have a wide range of experience with funding businesses including Jared Hecht, CEO of the online lending website Fundera, David J. Hall from the Small Business Association, Hal Shelton who is a SCORE mentor and author of The Secrets to Writing a Successful Business Plan (Summit Valley Press 2014) and Larry Conley, Senior Vice President and Specialty Finance National Manager for Chase bank.
3. Office Space. Even if 52% of all small businesses are home-based, that does not mean you need to look like you work from your home. Customers looking at an office address can usually tell the difference between a professional address and a home address. Also, if you’re meeting with clients, you’ll project a more professional image if you meet in an office setting versus a home office. For this reason, consider signing up with a fractional executive office service.
Ideally, your Instagram profile picture should be an image of your logo and be the same one displayed on your website and other social media platforms. For the mobile app, your profile picture should be a minimum of 110 pixels width x 110 pixels height. Your picture will be shown in a circle, so your logo has to be clear when cropped. Have a look at how Deputy’s logo is clearly displayed on our Instagram account.
If you start your company with co-founders, you should agree early on about the details of your business relationship. Not doing so can potentially cause significant legal problems down the road (a good example of this is the infamous Zuckerberg/Winklevoss Facebook litigation). In a way, think of the founder agreement as a form of “pre-nuptial agreement.” Here are the key deal terms your written founder agreement needs to address:
Since there is no collateral for the SBA Express working capital loan, how do they determine who qualifies? Credit is a primary factor when lending working capital without collateral. Generally, you should have less than $15,000 in credit card debt, 10% of the loan amount as cash on hand and be able to show a 10% cash injection into your business. Like a mortgage, these can not be borrowed funds, however gifts from family is usually acceptable. Lastly, you need to show “comparable credit” comparable to the amount you wish to borrow. Typically, anyone with a mortgage past or present would qualify. Some exceptions are made for military veterans.
Many companies, however, don't have established credit, so they cannot obtain a business loan without a guarantee from the owners. In other words, you'll probably have to "co-sign" for the company's loan, putting your own credit on the line. If you'll be applying for a loan and your credit matters, do all you can to boost your own score before applying. This means paying down debts so your credit utilization ratio is low, and always paying bills on time.
Franchisees who are operating a franchise location typically have their pick of financing options. We think the streamlined SBA loan from SmartBiz is the best option for those looking for up to $350K in working capital. With low SBA rates and 10-year repayment terms, these loans do not squeeze cash flow. Plus, SmartBiz has drastically reduced SBA loan funding times. Prequalifying online takes just a few minutes and they get loans funded in as little as 2 weeks.

There are many private lenders or financial institutions that would be willing to entertain your loan application with no collateral, provided you offer some personal guarantee. You may use a cosigner, offer some asset or real estate as security or any kind of infrastructure or commodity that is worthwhile. This option is not strictly unsecured but there is the option to use various kinds of assets or commodities as personal guarantee which may work for many business owners. The interest rates of private lenders would be quite high as such loans don’t have backing of the government.

The key is to connect the work they love with something that other people also love. Not everything you love can be turned into a successful business. I used to play video games, and no matter how good I was at Halo, no one came along to give me a check. However, I later learned that there were *other* things I loved -- international travel, creative self-employment, writing -- that I could in fact monetize.
The challenge is even greater for franchise owners looking to open new locations. They must pay a “franchise fee” amounting to tens of thousands of dollars, and the aforementioned deductions begin as soon as the new location opens its doors. Combine these expenses with inevitabilities like new equipment or furniture and you can see why business loans are popular for franchises. Multiple large expenses can easily pile up at the same time, making it extremely difficult to raise profits or save money.

Able Lending will manage and administer your process of raising 100% of your needed funds from friends and family. They make it easy for you to look professional, be charged your agreed upon interest rate with each individual investor, and they make sure everyone gets paid on time. They do all of this for a single origination fee of 1-3% at the time of funding.

Many new franchisees will need to find financing in order to fund the startup costs of their business. Franchise financing options can include ROBS, SBA loans, crowdfunding, home equity lines of credit, and even raising money from friends and family. We’ll cover these options in more detail, but first let’s take a look at the summary of each option in the table below.
It’s often easier to get started with a franchise compared to an independent business because a franchise comes with a proven concept, brand recognition, and customer base. Although the success rates of individual franchises vary widely, as a whole, franchises perform better than independent businesses in the long run. According to a report by the International Franchise Association, about 12,000 franchises open their doors every year!
Broadly, there are two types of loans: secured and unsecured. There are dozens of types of loans depending on their nature, purpose, applicability, loan amount, interest and terms but they can all be classified as either secured or unsecured. Secured loans require collateral. It is a tangible asset that acts as the security. Unsecured loans don’t need such collateral or any security.
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Ideally, your Instagram profile picture should be an image of your logo and be the same one displayed on your website and other social media platforms. For the mobile app, your profile picture should be a minimum of 110 pixels width x 110 pixels height. Your picture will be shown in a circle, so your logo has to be clear when cropped. Have a look at how Deputy’s logo is clearly displayed on our Instagram account.
Branding, services, promotions, products, pricing, prints, blogs, advertising, research and social media -- all of this is marketing. With all the marketing options out there, it can be difficult for small businesses to know what to do. Marketing is a concentrated effort to do push your brand across a variety of platforms and hope that enough makes it through to your customer. Customers need to hear your message several times, so brand, brand, brand! Here are some simple steps to help you market your small business:
Startups requiring a lot more funding up front may want to consider an investor. Investors usually provide several million dollars or more to a fledgling company, with the expectation that the backers will have a hands-on role in running your business. Alternatively, you could launch an equity crowdfunding campaign to raise smaller amounts of money from multiple backers.
According to research from the Nielsen Company audience report, adults in the United States spend about 10 hours and 39 minutes every day consuming media. This research found that smartphones have the largest reach, with users interacting over social media and reading blogs. As a small business owner, it’s likely that your target audience is using social media. Therefore, you should capitalize on this opportunity to grow your brand, reach your customers and increase sales. There are many social media options to choose from when it comes to marketing your small business. If you’re considering using Instagram for your business, this guide will provide you with a good foundation to make the most of the platform.
If you need financial assistance, a commercial loan through a bank is a good starting point, although these are often difficult to secure. If you are unable to take out a bank loan, you can apply for a small business loan through the Small Business Administration (SBA) or an alternative lender. [See related story: Best Alternative Small Business Loans]
Offering medium-term installment loans with repayment periods as long as 5 years, Funding Circle is a lending partner for established franchisees with a strong credit history. Specifically, you’ll need to be a franchisee with a business at least two years old and have a credit score of at least 620. For qualified applicants, Funding Circle has the advantages of offering faster funding than a bank loan would, as well as offering relatively low rates and fees.

Starting a small business doesn't have to require a lot of money, but it will involve some initial investment as well as the ability to cover ongoing expenses before you are turning a profit. Put together a spreadsheet that estimates the one-time startup costs for your business (licenses and permits, equipment, legal fees, insurance, branding, market research, inventory, trademarking, grand opening events, property leases, etc.), as well as what you anticipate you will need to keep your business running for at least 12 months (rent, utilities, marketing and advertising, production, supplies, travel expenses, employee salaries, your own salary, etc.).

That is why you should use an administrative service to manage your loan, and give you a professional platform to raise the money and make payments to. This can make it easier for people you know to lend money to your business, and you won’t have to worry about any of the paperwork or tax implications. It could also improve your chances at getting funded.

If your DSCR is less than one, you have negative cash flow because company income isn't enough to repay debt. Getting a loan will be difficult. Typically, lenders want to see at least a 1.35 DSCR, which would mean that if your organization's annual net operating income is $70,000, you wouldn't want to borrow more than around $51,800. However, the higher your DSCR, the better your chances of being approved for a loan on favorable terms.

"Your product is built by people," Zawadski said. "Identifying your founding team, understanding what gaps exist, and [determining] how and when you will address them should be top priority. Figuring out how the team will work together ... is equally important. Defining roles and responsibility, division of labor, how to give feedback, or how to work together when not everyone is in the same room will save you a lot of headaches down the line."

Congress passed the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 to ensure that drivers of commercial motor vehicles are qualified to operate those vehicles. States have the right to issue a driver's license, but they must meet minimum national standards when issuing a commercial driver's license. The Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Program places requirements on the commercial motor vehicle driver, the employing motor carrier, and the states.
Bank loan: You’ll need excellent business and personal credit to qualify for an SBA-backed bank loan. The U.S. Small Business Administration provides general small-business loans through banks with its 7(a) loan program. According to NerdWallet, the average SBA loan size is $371,000, although amounts can vary between $5,000 and $5 million. To qualify, you’ll need to provide:
Your place on the credit spectrum is one factor that will determine which loans you’ll qualify for. You can get your credit report for free from each of the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — once a year. You can get your credit score for free from several credit card issuers as well as personal finance websites, including NerdWallet.